1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective face guard for use by athletes. The invention relates especially to a protective face guard for baseball players, particularly although not exclusively, for young baseball players.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for certain athletes to wear protective gear to protect the head and face has long been recognized. In the sport of football, for example, players wear helmets having face guards to protect the head and facial areas. The later described face guard of the invention is adaptable to many sports, (e.g., soft ball, racquetball, lacrosse, paint ball, field hockey); however, the discussion of the related art will focus primarily on practices which relate to use of the invention face guard in connection with baseball. It is to be understood however that the later described face guard of the invention is not limited to that sport.
Baseball players holding certain field positions typically wear protective head gear. While at bat, a batter wears a batter's helmet to protect his head from being struck with a pitched baseball. Additionally, the catcher wears a catcher's mask which is specially designed for the ball activity a catcher is likely to encounter at home plate. Other defensive baseball players, such as basemen, short stops, and outfielders, typically do not wear protective gear. However, the need to protect the facial areas of other defensive players is equally important.
The purpose of a protective face guard is to reduce injury to a player. A baseball player, in particular a young player who is just learning the game, is subject to a number of injuries which could be diminished or avoided by a protective face guard. Players often risk being struck by hit or deflected balls for example by line drives which come directly and quickly off a batter's bat, by ground balls which can bounce off the ground and hit a player's chin or face, or by collision with another player. In addition, to the obvious benefit of reducing injuries, athletes who wear protective gear feel more at ease about performing to the limit of their athletic ability without fear of injury and as a result develop confidence in their playing ability, and become more skilled in the game pursued.
A protective face guard is not effective or successful if the player, intended to be protected by the face guard, will not wear it. Protective face guards have previously been developed, for example, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. 3,132,345 of Keith. However, no face guard has proven completely successful for use by baseball players, particularly young players playing in defensive positions. A face guard which requires special cap attachments (for example, of the type shown in the referred to Keith patent) is cumbersome to put on and remove, and thus is not a viable option.
An effective and successful protective face guard must meet several goals. An effective face guard must be easy to put on, take off, and wear. The face guard must not obstruct a player's ability to see and watch a ball, other players or the field. The face guard must also conform to league uniform regulations, which typically require the wearing of a league baseball cap. The face guard should not, therefore, prevent the player from wearing a baseball cap. A cap protects a player's head from the sun, and provides a sun visor. A face guard which requires that the baseball cap be removed or turned backwards on the player's head hinders the cap's ability to protect the player. If a protective face guard does not meet these recited goals, a player will not wear the face guard, and thus will not be protected during play. It should also be noted that the face guard of the invention is presently designed for players in defensive positions and is not meant to replace the head gear specially designed for offensive players, catchers and base coaches.
One advantage of the protective sports face guard of the invention is that it is easy and convenient to use.
Another advantage of the face guard of the invention is its adaptability to the protection of young baseball players, particularly those players playing defensive positions.
Other advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.